HOUSTON
A 36-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to federal prison for launching a retaliatory cyberattack that caused more than $860,000 in losses after he was fired from an information technology position, federal prosecutors announced.
Maxwell Schultz of Columbus, Ohio, previously pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2025, to computer fraud charges.
Senior U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Schultz to 24 months in federal prison. The court also ordered him to pay $862,516 in restitution.
Quick Facts
- Defendant: Maxwell Schultz, 36, of Columbus, Ohio
- Charge: Computer fraud
- Sentence: 24 months in federal prison
- Restitution Ordered: $862,516.74
- Victim Impact: Approximately 2,500 passwords reset nationwide
- Method Used: Unauthorized network access and PowerShell attack
- Motive: Anger over being fired, according to court records
- Judge: Senior U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal
- Case Location: Houston federal court
Sophisticated attack targeted company network
According to prosecutors, Schultz was terminated May 14, 2021, from his job as a contract employee in the company’s IT department. Shortly after being fired, authorities said he illegally accessed the company’s network by impersonating another contractor to obtain login credentials.
Investigators said Schultz then deployed a PowerShell script that reset approximately 2,500 employee and contractor passwords, effectively locking thousands of workers out of company systems across the nation.
Court records showed Schultz also searched for methods to delete logs and erase evidence of the intrusion, including clearing multiple system logs and PowerShell window events.
Company suffered widespread disruption
Federal authorities said the attack caused more than $862,000 in losses tied to employee downtime, customer-service disruptions and labor costs required to restore the company’s network operations.
At sentencing, prosecutors described the attack as sophisticated and deliberate. The court also heard Schultz initially concealed the intrusion by using another employee’s account, causing investigators to first focus on that worker.
Judge Rosenthal noted during sentencing that retaliating against an employer in this manner was “not the appropriate reaction to being fired.”
Defendant admitted motive
As part of his guilty plea, Schultz admitted he carried out the attack because he was upset over losing his job.
He remains free on bond for now and is expected to voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date to begin serving his sentence.